


rodeo

by johntography



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crack Treated Seriously, Kinoshita is a menace, M/M, Sexual Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:00:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25488871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johntography/pseuds/johntography
Summary: The conclusion drawn from all of this is that Ryuu needs to take it up a notch and get more hands-on. Just a little bit, enough for Ennoshita to look at him and have this little breathlessOh, I want to climb him like a treemoment, that’s all he asks for. It should definitely be worth the growing hole in his wallet, with all the popsicles and lollipops Ryuu spends his money on from now on.A lesson in seduction, subtlety and the shittiest best friends.
Relationships: Ennoshita Chikara/Tanaka Ryuunosuke
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	rodeo

**Author's Note:**

> this happened completely randomly after i played around with a prompt generator and got "tanaka asking ennoshita if he wants to do the do without actually using the words". for karasuno's second years week day 4: firsts. hope y'all like it!!
> 
> ps: [here](https://www.buzzfeed.com/javiermoreno/how-many-euphemisms-for-sex-do-you-know) are the euphemisms for reference ;;

***

When Ryuu takes the leap to share his innermost-secret-private-hidden thoughts with Nishinoya, he relies on his friend to support him. Is sure to be teased a little, maybe, but he doesn’t expect to hear:

“Why don’t you just… tell him?”

You see, Nishinoya is his bro. His forever bro, as a matter of fact; his best friend, because Ryuu has plenty of bros. Yamamoto from their rival school Nekoma, for example, or Kyoutani from Aoba Johsai (that one’s a long story). But Nishinoya has been there for him through thick and thin ever since they got over their superficial little quarrel in year 1 and realized they would be much more efficient in making Kiyoko happy if they joined forces.

While their friendship hasn’t wavered in the slightest, some things _have_ changed. Kiyoko is still the most beautiful woman in Ryuu’s eyes – he has perfect vision, after all – and although no longer their manager, having graduated last year, she continues to hold a solid spot in Ryuu’s heart.

But precisely because Ryuu has perfect vision it doesn’t take him long to realize that his perception of Ennoshita has been steadily shifting.

They got along well from the start because where Kinoshita and Narita were intimidated by his intensity and volume in the beginning, Ennoshita never treated him as anything other than an equal. If anything he thought Ryuu to be simple-minded and brutish, but over time he changed his mind. Ryuu is pretty proud to say that Ennoshita has a soft spot for him now, evident by the way he doesn’t take Ryuu’s favorite snacks out of the cupboard until Noya has reached the limits of his patience for homework and left (because his stomach is a vacuum, really) and how he notices abysmal improvements in Ryuu’s skillset on the court and doesn’t hesitate with praise even though he knows damn well it inflates Ryuu’s ego up to the sky.

Maybe he doesn’t mind that as much as he pretends to.

So they get together without much fanfare. Ryuu whisks Ennoshita away to have a picnic during one of their training camps, and the city lights of the capital are beautiful against the dark horizon while the food from the vending machine is predictably disgusting. What goes according to plan: Ennoshita being charmed by Ryuu’s efforts, playing along and engaging him in conversation about their middle school memories. What doesn’t go according to plan: Ryuu stuttering out his confession, eyes tracking the path of an ant that had found its way onto their blanket, instead of looking deep into Ennoshita’s pretty, sleepy eyes and watching his pupils dilate at the sound of Ryuu’s romantic words and smooth delivery. It’s Ennoshita filling in the blanks and ultimately providing a confession of his own, really.

Ryuu is embarrassed about that for all but an hour, until he shares what happened with the fellow second-now-third years (with Ennoshita’s permission) and they are genuinely so impressed and happy for him that he can’t help but feel that no matter how their relationship came to be, he was lucky either way.

(That was probably the only time he’d let Kinoshita’s snarky comments at his expense slide without starting a fight.)

Here they are now, the captain of a powerhouse school-to be and the vice captain ace. (No, Hinata, you’re still the decoy. Work on your receives.) Strenuous volleyball schedules don’t leave a lot of time to date, but neither Ryuu nor Ennoshita are planning on going to college so they get to be minimally productive in Ennoshita’s room, hunched over Japanese Lit textbooks and math exercises, stealing kisses and paying back tenfold. Still, this is not really Ryuu’s idea of an ideal relationship, so he tries to incorporate as many of his fantasies as he can by making Ennoshita bentos (he doesn’t work in his family’s restaurant for nothing!), sending him sweet good morning texts, carrying his books. At some point Ennoshita carries Ryuu’s bag instead, because the spiking and jump serve drills are hard on his arms.

Contrary to popular belief, that doesn’t make Ryuu feel any less manly. If anything, he thinks, it’s super manly to have someone care about you like that.

All of that considered, when it comes to taking the next step in their relationship, Ryuu doesn’t think it’s as simple as ‘just telling him’, the way Noya puts it. It’s a delicate matter that should be approached with a lot of tact and thought.

“Tanaka, you’re ridiculous,” Kinoshita says, seemingly materializing in the clubroom out of nowhere, and gives Ryuu a hearty thump on the shoulder.

That’s it. Ryuu has the worst friends in the world.

“Shut your face! What would you know about this, anyway!” he exclaims, pulling at the inky black hair that’s slowly been growing back in despair.

“I really don’t think we’re unqualified to give you relationship advice, seeing as you’ve been coming to us since before Ennoshita and you got together.” There goes Narita, ever the voice of reason and kindness. Ryuu almost can’t bring himself to be mad at him. Except he can, because this is important and they’re not taking him seriously.

“Okay, okay,” Ryuu says, holding his hands up in an attempt to pacify. His voice shifts into this conceding tone that it often takes on when Ennoshita catches him being too rowdy with their new first years. (Hinata included, because he’s still a first year at heart. Bless his favorite underclassman.) “Let’s make up a scenario.”

Kinoshita groans. This is how most of Ryuu’s rather elaborate worries are verbalized after all, but Ryuu can kindly overlook his lack of enthusiasm as long as he still pays attention.

Doesn’t mean he can’t have a little bit of fun with it.

“Kinoshita, imagine you have been dating your middle school sweetheart Narita since the beginning of your second year.”

Nishinoya claps like an actual seal. He jumps up and down, propelled into the air by the force of his laughter and Ryuu _does_ pride himself on doing a good voice impersonation, but this time it may have to do more with the fact that Kinoshita’s pale face is practically drowning in crimson. Narita is scratching the back of his head the way he tends to when he’s nervous and needs some way to busy his hands.

Let the show begin.

“So you are madly in love with him and your main goal, right after going to Nationals with your trusty captains, is to make him happy in any way you can.” Narita laughs and shifts to scratching behind his ear, instead. “Wouldn’t he be happy if you were a good, considerate boyfriend to him?” 

“Wouldn’t he be happy knowing he’s dating the coolest guy in the entire prefecture?!” Noya joins in, perfectly in tune with Ryuu’s thought experiment.

“Woah there,” Kinoshita says. “You know Daichi-san is still in Miyagi–”

“Suga-san too–”

Noya crosses his arms and huffs. It’s unlikely that he will admit to have gone over the top, but that’s fine with Ryuu. He got what he wanted, and that is Kinoshita in the zone and getting into character, which he doesn’t seem to have a difficult time with anyway.

“Finally, you obviously find him super attractive, so it’s only natural that you want to be,” Ryuu crowds Kinoshita against the lockers, “close.”

“Jesus, Tanaka, I get it! You want to bone Ennoshita and think that requires some elaborate scheme, but this is complete nonsense,” Kinoshita retorts, pushing Ryuu away with a hand on his chest. “It’s not like he hasn’t been staring at your ass every time you–”

“Who’s staring at Tanaka’s ass?”

And there goes Ennoshita, driving a knife into the beginnings of a fruitful discussion.

Ryuu finds it difficult to complain when Ennoshita comes up to him and weaves their fingers together, the extent to which he’s comfortable with PDA. When his voice is all commandeering and authoritative as he sets his sights on one of their friends after another, expecting an answer to his inquiry. Not yet ready to admit it to anyone but himself, Ryuu carefully catalogues the way his heart rate picks up at the thought of Ennoshita telling him exactly what to do, how to touch, and files it for later.

Noya, Kinoshita and Narita disperse with quiet mumbles of ‘nothing’, ‘just joking around’. Though before they get the chance to file out and begin setting up Ryuu stands in their way, shoulders puffed out in what he’s sure is fierce intimidation.

“This conversation isn’t over,” he says, quietly enough for it to evade Ennoshita’s ears.

“We don’t doubt that,” Narita affirms goodnaturedly. One arm slung around Kinoshita’s and another around Nishinoya’s shoulders, the latter flashing a smile and a thumbs up, they make their way into the gym, leaving the clubroom practically silent.

It’s just the rustle of Ennoshita shrugging his shirt on and the sigh Ryuu lets out, his feet pattering against the floor.

“I shouldn’t ask, should I?” Ennoshita says nonchalantly. The number one with the little captain line below looks good, so right on his back.

Ryuu’s hand twitches with the impulse to scratch his ear. (Damn Narita.) “You know I tell you everything anyway, sooner or later,” he assures. It’s not quite the truth in this case, but it comes closer to it with every moment that the plan takes shape in Ryuu’s head.

Ennoshita closes his locker and finally turns to face Ryuu. “That’s true,” he says, a little quieter and – dare Ryuu assume – fond. His right hand creeps up Ryuu’s arm with featherlight touches, more a brush of knuckles than anything else, but it’s nice either way because they haven’t seen each other since yesterday’s afternoon practice and touch deprivation comes more easily the more there is to give.

But then Ryuu is made to hold his breath involuntarily as Ennoshita’s fingers cradle his jaw, thumb on one side, pointer and middle on another, the touch bold and comforting at once. He closes his eyes in anticipation.

Nothing happens, of course, because self-imposed PDA rules are still in place. But luckily Ryuu’s eyes flutter open quickly enough to watch Ennoshita leave with a shy smile and pink ears, like he’s surprised at his own assertiveness.

Ryuu isn’t surprised at all.

The plan is on.

***

Noya gets called out by his teacher several times due to laughing too loudly at his phone.

That’s what he tells Ryuu, anyway, once Ennoshita is gone to a meeting regarding the upcoming school festival and the two of them are in Noya’s classroom to eat their lunch.

“I’m so sorry,” Ryuu wheezes. “I– really–”

“Save it,” Noya pouts. “Just tell me what you’ve got.”

At that Ryuu straightens and takes a careful look around the classroom, ensuring that the few students who are in their seats rather than making a commotion in the hallway are too far away or not paying attention. A brief glimpse to the window and he’s satisfied. This is an entirely private affair, after all.

“The idea is that I drop little hints here and there. Things that have to do with... that,” Ryuu gesticulates wildly. Noya nods in understanding. “So that I don’t have to be direct and crude about it and if he’s not into it I’ll notice and let it be.”

“You know what?” Noya says, shoving his lunch off to the side in a burst of determination.

Ryuu steels himself for the response.

Noya was never a particularly big fan of Ryuu’s plan to subtly insinuate to Ennoshita that he would, in fact, very much like to get naked and engage in some uglies-bumping, but he hopes the explanation as to why he’s taking such a roundabout approach manages to convince him. Otherwise Ryuu would be left with the choice between doing something potentially awkward and embarrassing, for both Ennoshita and him, and going against his best friend’s advice, which he’s even less inclined to do.

In conclusion, Ryuu is all ears.

Suddenly Noya’s eyes, once colored by conviction glaze over with something that looks like… tears?

“You’re so cool, Ryuu. Ennoshita is lucky he gets to hold on to your big, kind heart!”

“Oh my– Noya-san,” Ryuu chuckles nervously, doesn’t know what to do with any of the things this sentence implies. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

Noya grins. “That’s what you have me for now that you’re a mellow, happily taken man. Now come on, what kinds of smart hints are ya gonna drop on our captain?”

Ryuu lays it on him.

***

It starts with a banana during practice.

Nobody questions where Ryuu got the bananas from, enough to feed their rowdy bunch and then some, because it’s a perfect excuse to take a longer break after yet another 3 on 3 set. Tsukishima throws a grateful look Ryuu’s way and even when it morphs into a weirded out one once he sees the bag of overripe bananas on the bench, Ryuu feels like he’s done a good deed regardless of the personal benefits he’s looking to reap from this situation.

Personal benefits that aren’t impressionable first years excitedly calling him senpai after Ennoshita explains all the nutritional benefits of bananas. That’s just part of his job as an upperclassman.

They settle down to eat, little groups forming here and there, but everyone is closeby. Ennoshita sits down next to Yachi, taking small bites so she can still understand him clearly when he asks her about the stats she’s written down so far. It’s now or never, Ryuu thinks, and intrudes on their little bubble by plopping down on the floor right in front of them.

He eats his banana in silence for a little while, just listening to the two strategize and waiting for a lull in the conversation. Once it comes, he carefully taps Yachi on her calf, waits for her to look at him expectantly, and asks:

“Do you think I look good with a banana?”

In hindsight, maybe Yachi wasn’t the right person to pick for his plan. She’s no longer as timid as she was when Kiyoko first brought her to watch, but there’s no trace of her newfound confidence now as she splutters and drops her notebook into Ryuu’s lap.

Ryuu thinks he can hear someone snicker into their fist behind his back, but he can deal with that later.

“Uh, what a question– I mean– Tanaka-san…” Yachi stutters out, tugging at her side-ponytail. She turns to look to her left, an empty spot on the bench. “I really don’t think you’re asking the right person.”

The response is somewhat disappointing, but Ryuu wouldn’t be Ryuu if he didn’t always look at the bright side of things. “That wasn’t a no!”

“Not to somebody with such low standards,” Tsukishima quips, Yamaguchi’s antagonizing chuckle in tow.

Abort mission, _later_ has come.

“Tsukishima, you stingy little– come here!” Ryuu calls out and makes a run for it, hoping to outrun that long-legged bastard.

On all counts, it’s probably better than watching Ennoshita re-evaluate all the life decisions that brought him to this point. (That job is left to Narita.)

***

So for the next few weeks Ryuu continues doing his best to drop hints here and there. Use subtle insinuations to plant seeds into the unassuming soil of Ennoshita’s mind, so to speak. Some of them are more fruitful than others, some plain ridiculous, if only in hindsight because Ryuu can’t afford to be picky when it comes to getting his message across.

Before setting their street shoes aside in respect for the squeaky gym floor, he takes Ennoshita’s and his own and knocks them against each other loudly. The only result of that is a bunch of looks as dirty as the grime now covering the floor. It makes sense, of course, because it’s not one hundred percent faithful to the euphemism, but who wears boots in spring anymore?

On another day, when the moisture in the air threatens to erupt in rain any moment and the smell of petrichor dissolves on their tongues, Ryuu consistently brings up the fact that he’s learned how to test humidity levels by licking his finger and holding it up in the air. That one must be too sophisticated because Ennoshita just blinks and changes the topic. Raindrops begin to fall to the rhythm of Noya’s quips about Ryuu becoming a weatherman. Despite Ennoshita’s best efforts and Ryuu’s initial intentions, the conversation remains hijacked by the different scenarios of Ryuu being fired for failing to calculate the temperature difference between two cities or mixing up “cloudy with a chance of rain” in favor of “cloudy with a chance of meatballs”. Ryuu thinks that is absolutely ridiculous. As if there is any job in the world he would do poorly at! He just needs to work hard and persevere.

So persevere he does.

He swings himself on a lantern, because flag poles aren’t so readily available and now his friends think he might be better off as an exotic dancer. (That just might be a compliment, though.)

He takes Ennoshita to a grocery store to fill up their collective snack reserves and smacks the box of packaged salmon. It's like he’s trying to discipline it into telepathy, saying to Ennoshita what he can’t put into words, but Ennoshita just calmly reminds him that this strategy only works on watermelons.

In the end all they buy is bland biscuits. Ryuu wants to try and butter them in front of Ennoshita, but when they get to the Ennoshitas’ home there is no sight of butter in his fridge. Ryuu slowly starts going a little insane.

There is no carpet in Ennoshita’s room he could clean. Ennoshita knows what a Bat Cave is, but doesn’t make the connection between Batman lore and– _that_. Ryuu can’t very well use “stir up the skirt yogurt”, because Ennoshita doesn’t wear skirts, even though Ryuu privately thinks they would suit him very well. When asked if they should play doctor, Ennoshita just goes into complete captain worrywart mode and questions Ryuu on everything he did and ate for the past 24 hours to make sure he isn’t sick.

It’s kind of nice (okay, kind of really nice) but only serves to distract Ennoshita from realizing they should… _bury the weasel? Roll in the hay? Park the beef bus into tuna town!_

And yes, perhaps it was a mistake on Ryuu’s part to ask Ennoshita to go _cave diving_ with him on that very same day, because now Ennoshita is convinced Ryuu has some sort of a thing for caves. “Go do that with Noya,” Ennoshita advises. Ryuu sputters and mentally apologizes to Noya for the one moment his brain went astray for. This is so not going according to plan.

A week later and Ryuu still hasn’t given up.

He borrows one of Saeko’s shirts with a missing button and actually learns how to sew just to _thread the needle_ in front of Ennoshita. It doesn’t serve to breach his state of obliviousness, but at least Ryuu gets a useful life skill out of it.

The conclusion drawn from all of this is that Ryuu needs to take it up a notch and get more hands-on. Just a little bit, enough for Ennoshita to look at him and have this little breathless _Oh, I want to climb him like a tree moment_ , that’s all he asks for. It should definitely be worth the growing hole in his wallet, with all the popsicles and lollipops Ryuu spends his money on from now on.

He seems to take them out at the most inopportune moments. Once Kinoshita scares him so badly he ends up biting off a chunk of the candy and choking at it, another time Saeko walks in on them in the living room with the popsicle further down Ryuu’s throat than strictly necessary (it cools down his mouth, alright!) and gives him a look that Ryuu feels in his poor hormonal bones and which reminds him to never give his sister any type of blackmail material to hold over his head.

Aside from the time he went on his knees to talk her into taking Hinata and Kageyama to Tokyo. He still has no regrets about that, but he had promised them a ride so coolly and confidently it just wouldn’t align with the fact that he had to massage Saeko’s shoulders for hours to get her into a good mood to begin with. He wouldn’t want to give his underclassmen cognitive dissonance, after all.

Another week later the list is slowly trickling down to an unfortunate end, and Ennoshita still hasn’t caught on. Ryuu whines to Noya about how little reaction his parading-around-shirtless garners, and is forced to admit that Noya has a point when he says that “you’ve been taking your shirt off for two years now, a guy gets used to your guns at some point”.

And well, little reaction is not the same as no reaction. Ennoshita lasts about four days until he delegates Yamaguchi to lead the drills, drags Ryuu into the clubroom and kisses him senseless for something that feels like hours, but is too little still. Ryuu doesn’t miss the sneaky hand creeping up his spine underneath his shirt, still untucked from when he had taken it off after a successful spike.

For a moment he is almost sure Ennoshita knows what he wants and wants it just as much, is just waiting for the perfect timing, or the stars to align in a specific constellation…

(Or he just really doesn’t care.)

***

What Ryuu judges to be one of the most informative methods of getting through to Ennoshita is left for a lazy Saturday spent together at Ennoshita’s house, just the two of them because his parents are blissfully out of town. They spend an early afternoon in bed, facing each other with tangled legs and unrumpled sheets because the decision on who should be the big spoon is not an easy one.

Amid mumbles about physical therapy internships that Ennoshita has been looking into, Ryuu places a gentle hand on his boyfriend’s face.

“There are a couple of good programs in Sendai. I don't know yet if I wanna just up and move to Tokyo,” Ennoshita explains, eyes fluttering shut. Ryuu’s thumb follows the apple of his cheekbone as it rotates in place. 

“They’ll make a shitty boy out of you,” he says solemnly, like it's the biggest offense known to man. 

Ennoshita barks out a laugh inadvertently. Ripped out of him and into the compact space between them. “How many times do I gotta tell you, it's _city boy_. _Shitty_ means–”

“I know exactly what it means,” Ryuu whines. “Tsukishima teases me about it often enough.”

“And he always has a point.”

“So did I when I called you _shitty_.”

Ennoshita’s eyes open to accompany his hurt gasp. “Take that back right now.”

“Nope,” Ryuu enunciates. His hand, the one that hasn’t taken on the role of a pillow, is up in surrender. ”And you can't make me.”

“I can't?” Ennoshita asks, straightening up to support himself on his elbows. “You think I can't,” he repeats, throwing a leg over Ryuu’s lap. “Are you sure?” Until he’s fully on top, straddling Ryuu and looming over him like the most delectable rainy cloud. 

Breaths come heavy already. “Pretty sure,” Ryuu says, swapping the dryness in his throat for a crooked grin, watches Ennoshita intertwine the fingers of both of their hands. He knows it to be a gesture of both affection and control and equally cherishes it for both reasons.

Ennoshita leans down slowly, testing Ryuu’s patience. He can probably feel it coming apart at the seams with every flex of Ryuu’s fingers, every glance down at Ennoshita’s lips. _Do it, just do it. Read me._

But the object of Ryuu’s attention misses his lips by a mere hair’s breadth. Instead they latch onto the side of his jaw, slick and warm and inject the words “Something tells me you'll regret saying that” deep into his skin.

“Could n’ver,” Ryuu says, surprised at how hoarse his voice sounds already, and pulls Ennoshita closer by the set of his shoulders with one arm. Another bunches Ennoshita’s shirt further down his spine, the tension in his fist providing a necessary outlet. Essential, really, if Ryuu isn't to lose his mind at the languid drag of Ennoshita’s hips. 

“Is this okay?” Ennoshita asks, stilling for a bit. Ryuu nods frantically, needing to be closer, faster – _something_ , as long as it doesn't stop. “I don't really know what I'm doing.”

“Coulda fooled me,” Ryuu snarks into an open-mouthed kiss. There's a noisy suck of breath in through the nose that could be either of them and then Ennoshita blessedly moves again.

Ryuu sighs out, doesn't know if it's relief or warning but it's exactly what he needs, meeting Ennoshita halfway. Ennoshita stifles a chuckle against Ryuu’s collarbone. 

Ryuu’s cheeks promptly turn crimson. “Don't laugh at me, you bastard!” 

“I'm not! I just… feel a little ridiculous, I guess,” the bastard in question admits with a pout. 

Weaving his fingers into the hair on Ennoshita’s nape Ryuu taps them once, twice, until Ennoshita lifts his head enough to look up. Being satisfied with how disheveled Ennoshita looks is uncharted territory. This is pretty solid evidence, right? 

“It doesn't _feel_ ridiculous.”

“Yeah,” Ennoshita affirms, quiet laugh tinkering. He nods and a smile takes the place of his own sheepishly pressed together lips. “You're right,” he adds and lets his fingers wander. 

They dance from shoulder over Ryuu’s ribcage to his hips. Don't stop there. Ryuu cannot, for the love of him, decipher what Ennoshita’s plan is. Something tells him it's better thought out than his, though, if it's what got them in this situation. 

He trusts Ennoshita, one way or another. 

Then fingers dig into the meat of his thigh, hook under his knee and tug up, up, until Ryuu feels the stretch in his tendons. Ennoshita soothes the pull with a kiss, lets Ryuu adjust his leg so that it’s curled around Ennoshita at a more relaxed angle.

And then the phone rings. 

“Just let it–” Ryuu starts. He doesn't want Ennoshita to get up and break this tentative air of exploration. Damn it, damn it all.

Will an opportunity like this ever present itself again? It was too good to be true from the get go, but now that Ennoshita is across the room, laughing into Ryuu’s phone, it just feels like a gigantic fluke. 

Suddenly he perceives the stickiness of the sweaty clothes clinging to his skin as invasive. Ennoshita’s sheets are too soft, the sun is too bright, and Ryuu is too stupid. 

“Talk to them for a bit, I'm gonna go take a shower.”

So that's clearly the end of that. 

The very moment the bathroom door slams shut with a click Ryuu yells his new mantra about having terrible friends into the phone. 

“I'm not a– stop! Stop barking at me, Kinoshita!”

And he hadn't even gotten to the two-person push ups. 

***

The ‘2012 Karasuno bois’ group chat lies rather dormant in the wake of the third years’ graduation. A new one has been created in order to not spam them with Ennoshita’s announcements and the array of questions from the first years, but this occasion is apparently important enough to bring it back to life.

**suga** (10:23): Sitting in a lecture about haikus. Anybody hear Tanaka sneeze yet?

 **suga** (10:24): This might be the perfect solution to his woes, actually

**buddha** (10:45): hi suga-san!! what woes are u referring to

Nishinoya, who sits next to him at Ennoshita’s low table doing homework (so far), pats Ryuu’s knee soothingly and in his most solemn timber announces:

“I took matters into my own hands and told Suga-san about your plan.”

Ryuu is, once more, reminded of how terrible his friends can be. 

He motions for Noya to take out his phone, because Ennoshita is on his bed and in perfect hearing range, and types in their private chat:

**tanaka** (10:45): noya what the fuck

 **bromo** (10:45): shh suga-san’s got game he can help

 **tanaka** (10:46): ennoshita is literally IN THE CHAT

 **bromo** (10:46): dw we’ll be as subtle as your subtle hints to him B)

Ryuu groans out loud.

“Tanaka? Everything okay?” Ennoshita asks, looking up from his notes.

“Yeah, yeah!”

If Ryuu chooses that moment to pinch Noya’s annoyingly taut thigh, that’s nobody’s business but his own.

**suga** (10:47): Code word dog!

 **suga** (10:47): Pour your emotions into a haiku, my dear

**captain** (10:48): Suga, sincerely, what in the hell.

**big jump float** (10:48): oh yea, i got 1

 **big jump float** (10:50): couldn’t get it in / no matter how much i tried / he was just too much

**smol jump float** (10:50): SKJDSKJDKSJDKSJD

**little giant** (10:51): that’s a nice haiku kinoshita-san!! ^-^

**manbun** (10:52): Please forget you ever read that, Hinata

**naruto** (10:54): i don’t know whether to laugh or cry,,

**suga** (10:55): I did just say haiku and not ‘tasteful haiku’, so that’s on me

 **suga** (10:55): I mean something more like this

 **suga** (10:57): silk kimono / in a puddle / at her feet

**guardian deity** (10:58): i like that!! kimonos are very pretty!!

**blueberry** (10:59): I dont understand

 **blueberry** (10:59): Why is the kimono a puddle

**french fry** (11:00): It’s as much of a puddle as the contents of your brain...

**smol jump float** (11:00): SKJDSKJDKSJDKSJD

**naruto** (11:01): how did u manage to replicate that keysmash perfectly?

**smol jump float** (11:01): talent

**french fry** (11:01): Copy + paste

**smol jump float** (11:02): shut up, tsukki

**french fry** (11:03): Sorry, Yamaguchi

**guardian deity** (11:04): rare event, SMASH that like button for good luck

**little giant** (11:05): like

**captain** (11:05): Like?

**naruto** (11:06): like

**smol jump float** (11:06): like

**buddha** (11:06): like

**big jump float** (11:08): handjob, i do not / understand you. why me? you / already have hands

**guardian deity** (11:08): NOOOOO

**suga** (11:09): Kinoshita, you’re a menace omg

**french fry** (11:09): Good luck indeed, Tanaka-san :)

**blueberry** (11:10): Tsukishma you suck

 **blueberry** (11:10): Tdukishima

 **blueberry** (11:10): Tsukoshima

**guardian deity** (11:11): you’ll get there, buddy

Later, when it’s just Ennoshita and Ryuu and Ennoshita’s head in his lap and his fingers in Ennoshita’s hair, Ryuu distantly begins to contemplate how oblivious Ennoshita must be to not be concerned about any of the shushed conversations, leave alone Ryuu’s blatant and persuasive hints.

Should he take it to another level? Or is this the precise sign that he was looking for, Ennoshita’s idea of making it clear that he’s content with their current bounds of intimacy?

A voice, muffled against his thigh, breaks his internal monologue. “Stop thinking so much,” Ennoshita demands. “Whatever it is.”

“Oh wow, Chikara.” Ryuu wields the rare use of Ennoshita’s first name like a weapon. “I didn’t know you wanted me to be more of an animal.”

“Is that even possible?” Ennoshita chuckles, shifting so that he’s lying flat on his back, looking up at Ryuu.

This is it, this is the moment. The perfect time to say something suave, something to do with Ryuu’s athleticism and stamina and the advantages of that off the court, whisper sweet (hot?) nothings about the vague fantasies Ryuu only allows himself to entertain right after waking up while everything is still warm and fuzzy, lean down until their noses brush and breaths intermingle. Just one sentence and everything could change. Their hips could align without the afterthought of taking it too far, somewhere they couldn’t follow up on, and their naked skin would collide, Ennoshita on top of him, under him, around him. Ryuu could show him exactly how much he cares, how much of his time is spent dwelling on the thought of making Ennoshita feel good and sated.

How good he could be to his boyfriend, if only he knew Ennoshita wanted him to. If only he could have what he wants.

Something hollow thuds in Ryuu’s rib cage at that trail of thought. At the memory of the last time in Ennoshita’s bed, and how Ennoshita had left, completely unaffected, like they hadn't been doing anything out of the ordinary. Maybe if he had been more assertive, touched more, said less… 

He settles for patting Ennoshita’s cheek amiably, a halfhearted grin contorting the line of his mouth, and doesn’t say a thing. 

The plan is put on hold.

***

The thing is, Ryuu isn’t an insecure person by nature and he doesn’t really care what others think of him.

It’s not that he’s blind to them (perfect vision, remember?), the biting words, usually directed at him through the barrier of a net. Perhaps some of his teammates wish he was because it would lead to less confrontations and almost-fights just barely broken up by Ennoshita and Narita, who easily slide into the designated spots left behind by Daichi and Suga. But he is able to snap out of it just as quickly, drive his focus onto winning with the determination of the simpleton they think he is. Coach Ukai (junior) once told him: this is your strength. Your mental fortitude, the way you don’t let being backed into a corner faze you. It’s inspiring, he said, for the rest of your team and even those uninvolved.

Ryuu just always wanted to do his best, for himself and his friends, but the idea of being able to evoke that same passion in someone else is enticing; rewarding, even, in the way putting all of your eggs in one basket rarely is. Ryuu doesn’t complain. If it hadn’t been a solid trait of his from childhood, Saeko definitely would have drilled it into him in adolescence with her tough love.

But for all his strength Ryuu isn’t a machine. If he was a machine, he thinks sometimes bitterly, he would know what knobs to turn to tweak a few things here and there. The strength of his spike. The way children, especially younger girls, shrink in on themselves when he walks by. The frustration ebbing in his temples like a headache whenever a teacher goes over a topic too quickly and he’s left even more confused than before.

The way he falls for people so easily, and how they usually don’t develop the same feelings in return.

Boys and girls, all the way from kindergarten to high school. Passing infatuations with people he barely knew anything about and more intense attachments to acquaintances and close friends; Ryuu never hesitated to make his affection clear, even if he got burned. Rejection never stopped stinging, but became a familiar companion instead, to the point where his confessions started with reassurance that they could go on just like before, rather than ‘please accept my feelings’. _Please tolerate my feelings. Please be okay with them._

Of course Ennoshita wasn’t the only person to like him, or like him back. There was this boy in kindergarten who let him play with his favorite cars and spent so much time at his house that if it was possible to have a concept of a relationship at such a tender age, Ryuu thinks they might have dated.

There were some love letters in his locker on Valentine’s day, usually anonymous – whether for lack of courage or lack of want for reciprocity remains unknown. There were some girls who had seen him play volleyball and thought he looked cool, blushing and cheering for him until an older boy began to spike. There was – or is – Kanoka, of course, nothing like her fourth grade self who relied on Ryuu’s praise to keep her newfound love for volleyball and confidence afloat and yet still the same in the way she calls him Ryuu-chan and recalls anecdotes from their childhood.

She’s even more beautiful now, strong and driven and Ryuu is glad they’ve kept in touch ever since their little run-in at the Nationals.

But: “I’m sorry, I already have someone my heart is set is on!”, because he doesn’t really know how to talk to her comfortably, not as much as he can talk to Ennoshita and just let his mouth run ahead of his brain with no filter. It’s not the same as their occasional easy silences when Ryuu has run out of things to say. How their lives are intertwined with Saeko teasing Ennoshita whenever he comes by (Ennoshita never lets it get to him, because he’s just that cool-headed when he wants to be) and Ryuu texting responses to their friends from his own name and Ennoshita’s.

How Ennoshita knows him and how he knows Ennoshita, can tell when he’s feeling discouraged or overwhelmed by his responsibilities as captain and knows exactly what to do to make him feel better. It’s the type of thing that is so natural it doesn’t require dwelling upon, until you’re thinking about it once upon a time and realize that what you have is precious. One of a kind.

How Ryuu got from wanting to do the do to this is a mystery, but he supposes that’s just what happens when you’re up late on a school night with the threat of morning practice looming so far away that it doesn’t feel like it ever will come to fruition. It’s like he’s in a pocket of the universe that he was never meant to enter.

In the darkness of his bedroom a stripe of light shoots up to the ceiling and his phone lights up with a single message.

**enno** (2:47): stayed up late watching a movie. probably gonna hate myself tomorrow…

 **enno** (2:48): good night, ryuu. see you soon. hope you’re sleeping well :)

Ryuu breathes in and out, deep, invigorated. So what if he’s never felt like he could grasp what he wants? Good thing he never thought himself a fool for hoping, never threw in the towel. It’s perfectly within his reach now.

(During morning practice:

“I swear I didn’t mean to leave you on read!”

“Ten additional laps. I said what I said.”)

***

In the end, and quite unexpectedly so, it’s Narita who spills his guts about Ryuu’s plan.

Narita is usually good at keeping secrets and navigating landmines, a skill he must have acquired as the eldest of a bunch of siblings, but either it didn’t stand the test against Ennoshita’s interrogation finesse which he must have acquired from those mafia movies he indulges in, or Narita’s patience simply ran out after another one of Kinoshita’s _genius_ erotic haikus.

One way or another, Ryuu finds himself at Ennoshita’s porch because the other said he’d wanted to talk about something. He doesn’t think much of it.

He still doesn’t think much of it when, instead of hugging Ryuu hello by the door and dragging him into the kitchen by the hand to pick up some snacks, Ennoshita pulls him upstairs by the arm and doesn’t let go until his bedroom door shuts and the echo of Ryuu’s confused _pardon the intrusion_ disperses.

“Come here,” Ennoshita says unnecessarily, like he doesn’t already have Ryuu pressed up against the wall.

Ryuu swallows in an attempt to moisturize his dried out throat and gets with the program.

They kiss slowly but deeply, Ennoshita’s lips tasting like something sweetly unfamiliar after the salty taste of post practice sweat Ryuu is accustomed to. Ryuu loses himself in the sensation, doesn’t think he could tire of it. Ennoshita knows exactly how to set up a pace that engages both foggy head and sharp instinct and Ryuu gladly takes the challenge to keep up with it.

Ennoshita’s arm slides up Ryuu’s chest languidly, like he’s caressing some satisfying texture, and cages him in. Turning his head on a sigh, Ryuu lets it happen; is one breath away from arching against Ennoshita to show him how much he likes it even. The hand intertwined with Ennoshita’s, pinned against the cold wood, is a way of compromising then, and the fact that they both know Ryuu could rip it out of his grip and free himself at any moment makes it even better.

“Bed?” Ennoshita proposes eventually when they separate to catch their breath. It’s certainly needed.

“Bed,” Ryuu agrees and goes flying like a little kid. No matter what anyone may say: yes, it’s worth Ennoshita laughing at his expense.

It feels wrong to say that the spell is broken when Ennoshita lies down next to him, amused grin in place. Rather the magic shifts to accommodate the new circumstances: the way Ryuu’s heart hammers at being surrounded by the scent of Ennoshita’s laundry detergent, the pinpricks of warmth from the leg swung over his, just shy from where the friction would make him cry out.

“I know what you’ve been trying to do,” a murmur against his lips, a hand on his cheek. “Narita told me. Not that I hadn’t caught onto the fact that you’ve been trying to do _something_.”

“Uh-huh,” Ryuu mutters, unable to bring out something more sophisticated.

Ennoshita rolls forward to kiss some more; teasing little pecks that have Ryuu chase after him. “It’s okay,” he says then. “You know you can just tell me when you want something, right?”

“Right,” Ryuu parrots, stroking the inner side of Ennoshita’s wrist. “I guess I just– dunno. It didn’t feel right to just bring it up out of nowhere.”

“I see,” Ennoshita says with a nod. “I see,” he repeats, and shrugs out of his shirt.

This is familiar territory, but Ryuu thinks he should be at least somewhat freaked out by the connotation of Ennoshita knowing that he wants to– wants to have sex (he should be able to say it in his head, at least, dammit!).

But no matter how carefully he takes stock of his emotions he can’t find it in him to be worried. Not then and not now, when Ennoshita tugs his shirt upward to trail kisses along his abdomen. Not even when fingers dig into his sides and attentive eyes look up at him with the promise of more, no trace of sleepiness in them.

“I was embarrassed,” Ryuu admits, scratching at Ennoshita’s nape the way he knows the other likes it. “And I kind of thought you’d say no.”

“You should be embarrassed you dragged most of the team into our sex life,” Ennoshita mumbles, all the bite that ought to be in his voice transferred into his teeth. Ryuu whines, convinced that Ennoshita will assume it’s out of shame.

Then he comes up to straddle Ryuu properly, chest-to-chest, letting himself be pulled down by Ryuu’s hands on his hips, and adds: “And I’d never make you feel bad even if I didn’t want to sleep with you.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” Ryuu concedes with a sigh, arching up for a kiss and subsequently helping Ennoshita take off his shirt, as well. Ennoshita pats the space next to him, wordlessly indicating that he wants to switch positions, and Ryuu complies with gusto.

“It’s okay though,” he says, once they’re properly in place. “You’re plenty cool so it’s alright if you want to be a coward with me sometimes. Lord knows I can’t judge you for that.”

Ryuu shakes his head. He knows there’s more to his supposed cowardice that he could explain, and he’s never thought of Ennoshita as a coward, not even when he slacked off or abandoned volleyball altogether because it’s made him the person he is now. But there’s always gonna be enough time to elaborate on both of these things, and right now his focus strays more towards Ennoshita’s hands on his back and the way they creep lower.

“Is _this_ okay?” Ennoshita asks. His fingers slide underneath the wristband of Ryuu’s underwear slowly. Subtly, Ryuu thinks, and chuckles.

It’s nice to have someone who complements him so well.

“It’s good,” he says, and leans down to prove to Ennoshita exactly how good he thinks it is.


End file.
